Car-coupling



(No Model.)

S. T. M. MOPHERSON (Ya G. L. ARMBRISTER. GAR COUPLING.

No. 440,495. Patented Nov. 11, 1890.

I f 0% M4442: Z; 432;

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

LT EPIIEN THOMPSON MASON MCPHERSON AND GEORGE LEE ARMBRISTER, OF RED BLUFF, VIRGINIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 440,495, dated November 11,1890.

- Application filed August 20, 1890 Serial No. 362,507, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, STEPHEN THOMPSON MASON MCPHERSON and GEORGE LEE ARM- BRISTER, of Red Bluff, in the county of Wythe and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Couplings; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip- .tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in automatic car-couplings5 and it consists in the particular arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

The object of ourinvention is to provide a link of the particular construction hereinafter described, which will catch in the draw-head or box of the car, and to so arrange levers which exten d through slots formed in the front of the box or draw-head, and to connect to 2 5 these levers a vertical operating-rod that extends to the top of the car, whereby the cars can be uncoupled by a person standing on the top of the car.

Figure 1 is an end view of a car, showing 0 the draw-head and the levers for operating the link. Fig. 2 is a detached view of the link.

The draw-head A is secured to the car by means of bolts in the ordinary manner and is provided with the end flanges B. Pivoted 5 near its inner end upon the flange B of the draw-head A is a horizontal lever O, which may extend through the draw-head A, its 0pposite end passing through a loop D, which is secured to the opposite flange B of the draw- 40 head. Pivoted or otherwise loosely connected to the outer end of this lever O is the lower end of the vertical operating-rod E, which extends upward to the top of the car, and is provided with a ring, by means of which the said lever can either be depressed or raised by the hand or foot of a person upon the top of a car. At about the center of the vertical operating-rod E is a spring-catch E, which has one end to engage a rack-bar G, which is secured to the end of the car, and has fastened to its opposite end a rod, cord, or wire H. The opposite end of this wire His fastened to a small operating-lever I, which is pivoted near the upper end of the rod E and bymeans of which the catch F is made to engage or disengage the rack-bar G. A second lever J is pivoted or otherwise suitably supported at its outer end to any convenient point of the car and extends inward through the front lower portion of the draw-head A. A connecting-link L has its upper end loosely connected to the lever 0 outside of its pivotal point and its inner end loosely connected to the lower lever J inside of its pivotal point.

The lever 0 preferably extends beyond the side of the car, as shown, and has pivoted thereon a small hand-lever A, which is connected with the catch F, so that the said catch can be disengaged from its rack-bar by means of the small hand-1ever A and the coupling operated from the side of the car by pressing down upon the top cross-lever G. It will be readily understood that by this arrangement of levers a downward pressure upon the vertical operating-rod E (or down ward pressure by rod 0) will force the upper lever C downward, and through the medium of the link L, which is connected to the oppo site end of the lever 0 outside of its pivotal point, will raise the lower lever J, thus drawing the upper and lower levers C J toward each other across the front of the draw-head. The coupling link which we use may be of any desirable form, but preferably consists of the two pivoted spring-actuated catches N, which have their outer ends beveled away, as shown, so as to form shoulders P, which catch against inwardly-extending flanges of any de sired construction at the upper and lower ends of the draw-head. One of these catches N is 0 provided with the laterally-extending ears Q, between which the projection R upon the other catch is pivoted. The ears Q and the projection R are provided with the slots S, through which passes a pivotal pin or bolt T. Resting 5 or placed between the two catches N, at the center, is a spiral or other suitable spring U, which normally holds the two catches parallel with each other. By means of a link of this construction it will be seen that either end of mo the link can be pushed into the draw-head A and will instantly spring outward and cause the shoulders P to catch against the flanges of the draw-head and thus prevent it from being pulled out, or While in this position forced into the draw-head of an adjoining car, thus securing the cars together. The cars are uncoupled by pressing downward upon the opcrating-rods E or O, which, as heretofore described,draw the two levers O J together,which will engage the ends of the two catches N, thus forcing them together and disengaging the shoulders P from the draw-head and allow it to be withdrawn.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- 1. The combination of the two levers, which extend across the draw-head, the connectinglink, the operating-rod, the draw-head, and the spring-actuated link, substantially as shown.

2, The combination of the draw-head, the spring-actuated link, a pivoted lever which extends across the upper portion of the drawhead, a pivoted lever which entends across the lower portion of the draw-head, and a link which is connected to the upper lever outside of its pivotal point and to the lower lever inside of its pivotal point, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the draw-head, the spring-actuated link, the pivoted levers which extend across the upper and lower portions of the draw-head, the connecting-link, the verti-- cal operating-rod, a rack-bar secured to the end of the car adjacent to the operating-rod,

a small operating-lever pivoted near the upper end of the said rod, and a connecting wire or cord connecting the said pivoted lever and the catch, substantially as set forth.

4:. A coupling-link consisting of two catches having shoulders at their outer ends, one of the catches having perforated ears and the otherthe perforated projection whichis placed between the said cars, a pivotal pin which passes through the said perforations, and a spring placed between the said catches at their centers, substantially as set forth.

5. A coupling consisting of two spring-actuated catches having shoulders and transverse slots at their centers, a pivotal pin which passes through the said slots, and a spring between the said catches at their centers for holding them parallel with each other, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the draw-head,0f 

